My Favourite Things

 I was humming the music sung by Julie Andrews as "Maria"...
(emphasis added)

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens;
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens;
Brown paper packages tied up with strings;
These are a few of my favorite things.

Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels;
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles;
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings;
These are a few of my favorite things.

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes;
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes;
Silver-white winters that melt into springs;
These are a few of my favorite things.

When the dog bites,
When the bee stings,
When I'm feeling sad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.

- Portia Nelson, Irwin Kostal, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Julie Andrews, Marni Nixon

I thought... "What are some of MY favourite things?"
Here are some of them:

This old, so-far-irriplaceable egg lifter.

I keep it safely and hope it will last me all my life. 

This funnel I cut the stem off.

Very useful for canning and many other uses.

My three-pronged kitchen fork.

My cork hot-mats.

My personal ladder which belongs in our storeroom.

(I painted the ceiling second and touch up coats this morning.)

This device designed to 'hold' brooms in place.

I use it for many other things.

(the hooks fold up.)

 Our sleeper couch.  I love it!

My new laptop computer.

And my tablet, and my cell phone, my camera.

All very useful!

This lump of rose quartz turned into a lamp.

When I saw it  in my poorer days I said

"I have to find a way to afford that!" 

I did.

My notebooks.

When one is full I start another.

In them I write all sorts of inspiring and useful things.

My dish of seeds gathered from wherever I go.

My kitchen timer.

I actually have three.

This one reverts to what you set it,

one I can set for many hours when I want to,

and my new green Ikea one which you can see in the photo of my portable radio.

Each very used and useful.

 This string of bells.

I watched a programme recently about the Oshun religion in Nigeria.

They forge and use small prayer-bells.

I wonder if this is what these are?

I got this string in an Indian store.
I love to gently make it ring sometimes as I walk past.
If I brush against it there is that delightful tinkling sound.
Exceedingly pleasing to my soul...

My car...

Hail damage soon to be repaired.

All the paperwork is done at last!

These two light stainless steel dishes.

I looked long and hard for this size and shape.

I use them frequently.

My chopping boards.

Green for vegetables, pink for meat, chicken, fish,

yellow for fruit.

My two Victorinox kitchen knives -

one serrated, one a wonderful parer.

I use them several times every day.

My wall-hung kitchen scale.

Got this many years ago.

I haven't seen another wall-hung one since.

My wall-hung can opener.

Being left-handed this by-passes my handicap with hand ones 

which are designed for right handed people.

My multi-pocketed handbag.

The little heart is from a Relief Society lesson...

"Be the heart wherever you are."

My newest favourite -

the concealed lighting above the glass sliding door.

It truly warms my heart and comforts my spirit.

My portable radios.

I often carry them around with me as I work inside and outside.

I have two like this -

One for around the kitchen, one for my bedroom area.

And this portable one which is permanently set for AM657 - Radio Pulpit.

I listen to Radio Pulpit in the mornings 

when I am making our bed etc and putting on make-up.

A good way to start my day!

A little inspiring lift every morning.

My filing cabinet.

A gift long ago from Glenn.

I love it!

This is one of two mats at doorways.

Very practical.

Easy to pick up and put down.

My absolutely flat plastic shoes.

When I go to Kwa Zulu-Natal I get another couple of pairs for "Storage."

They cost me a mere R25.00 last time!

When I first got them years ago they cost R20.

Waterproof.

Easy to slip on and off.

Marvellously comfortable.

(I spend a lot of my time bare-foot in Summer

and shoeless with socks on in Winter.)

As I wandered around the house I realise - again - 

I am surrounded every day by many carefully chosen 

and adapted-to-suit-me favourite things!

After these 45 married and seventy alive years of having time
to search for and select exactly what I want,

I feel exceedingly fortunate!
"Too blessed to be stressed."
or, probably more accurately...
"Exceedingly blessed, even when stressed."